This invention relates to a playard and a changing table thereof. An exemplary playard apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,570 to Cheng, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Changing tables for playards are known in the prior art. A user can change a child""s diaper or perform other child-related tasks on a changing table that can be mounted to the top of a playard. The changing table, which is generally rectangular in shape, can be supported on three sides by three upper frame supports of the playard. After the child""s diaper has been changed, the changing table can be completely removed from the playard, or, in some embodiments, can be swung about an upper frame support of the playard to a storage position exterior of the playard. In this regard, the user can lift the side of the changing table opposite the upper frame support and can swing the table about the upper frame support to its storage position at an exterior side of the playard. The changing table then can rest in its storage position exterior of the playard.
As seen in FIG. 7, conventional changing tables 12 have a disadvantage in that, if the playard 10 is positioned adjacent a wall, when the changing table 12 is swung to its storage position, the changing table 12 will only swing away from the interior of the playard until it comes into contact with the wall. Accordingly, to remove the changing table 12, the playard 10 has to be moved sufficiently far away from the wall so that there is sufficient clearance between the wall and the side of the playard 10 to allow for passage of the changing table 12. Consequently, this conventional playard 10 and changing table 12 combination may be inconvenient to use when the playard 10 is placed in a space-restricted location, such as in a small apartment or small room.
Furthermore, because the conventional changing table 12 protrudes from the side of the playard when stored, and because the playard often is stored with the changing table attached to it, the playard requires sizeable storage space. With the rapidly rising cost of housing and real estate, there is a need for improving the space utilization of existing living and storage space, while providing the convenience of a playard with an attached changing table that can be used without the burdensome steps of assembly or disassembly.
Another disadvantage with the above-described conventional playard and changing table products is that the products are inconvenient to transport. For those products where the changing table can be completely removed from the playard, the products require the transport of two separate pieces that then have to be assembled together during use. Moreover, one of the two pieces may be lost or forgotten if, for example, they are stored by the user in different places. For those products where the changing table is attached to the playard and swings about an upper frame support to its storage position, greater storage space is required, as discussed above, which becomes an even more acute concern during transport since storage space during transport is often more restricted. Therefore, conventional playard and changing table products do not make the most effective utilization of living and storage space and are inconvenient to transport.
The present invention relates to a playard and a changing table thereof. The playard can include an upper end rail member and a pair of upper side rail members, and a changing table.
The changing table can include first and second rails and a pair (first and second) of arm assemblies. Each of the arm assemblies can include a (first, second) pivot arm and a (first, second) folding arm pivotally connected the respective pivot arm. The first rail can be connected between the first and second pivot arms. The second rail can be connected to the first and second folding arms so that the folding arms together with the second rail are movable between an open position in which the second rail is positioned away from the first rail and a closed position in which the second rail is positioned adjacent to the first rail.
In particular, the ends of the first rail can be connected proximate to outer ends of the pivot arms, and the ends of the second rail can be connected proximate to outer ends of the folding arms. The pivot arms can be pivotally connected to the respective folding arms.
The first folding arm can be pivotally connected to the first pivot arm at a first pivot joint, and the second folding arm can be pivotally connected to the second pivot arm at a second pivot joint. In this respect, the changing table can further include a locking mechanism for locking at least one of the first and second pivot joints to lock the first and second folding arms in at least one of the open position, the closed position, and an intermediate position between the open and closed positions.
The changing table can further include a platform attached to the first rail and the second rail. The platform can be a flexible material and can include a pouch on a bottom surface thereof for receiving a removable board. The flexible platform can be positioned outside of (exterior of) the playard when the changing table is in the closed position. Moreover, the flexible platform can drape over the first end of the playard when the changing table is in the closed position.
The length of each of the first and second folding arms can be substantially equal to or slightly greater than the length of the respective first and second pivot arms. In this respect, the second rail can extend beyond an end frame support of the playard when the folding table is in the closed position.
The first and second pivot arms can be attached to the side rail members of the playard. Moreover, changing table can include a bracket for attaching the first rail to the end rail member. The first and second folding arms also can lie substantially over the upper side rail members when the folding table is in the open position. Moreover, the first and second pivot arms can be substantially parallel to each other, and the first and second folding arms can be substantially parallel to each other.